Count to Ten
by IvoryDrum
Summary: Sometimes, being a little mutant turtle involves more then just the normal hardship of staying away from the above ground society. Who would have thought that counting could be one of them? A chibi oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Splinter, in any way, shape, or form. I merely write about them. **Please remember that this is a chibi story, and that the turtles will be talking as excited little kids tend to talk.

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"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…." 

Three young turtles paused from their game to watch their father through wide, wondering eyes. Splinter was pointing at the cans of food that he had found that evening, and giving them each silly names.

"Why is he naming the food? Food for eating, not naming."

"Maybe he wants a be silly."

"Splin'er ain't ever silly, stupid."

"Raphy! Don't be mean to Mikey! Mikey the baby!"

"I not a baby!"

Splinter turned from his work and looked at his three squabbling sons. "You must be kind to each other, my children. I have very much work to do yet, and I cannot do it if you are fighting amongst yourselves."

Splinter shook his head as three of his children, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michaelangelo, lowered their heads and went quietly back to their game. He then turned to his second youngest, who had inched closer to him and the cans as he spoke. The young turtle now fingered the cans, and was watching him with big, brown, inquisitive eyes.

"Splinter?" he asked, careful not to stumble over the name. "Splinter, what are you doing with the cans? We wanna know."

"Well my son, you must tell me. What do you think I was doing?"

"Well….okay. Mikey and Leo thought you were naming the food to be silly, and then Raphy said that you aren't ever silly, but I don't think that's right I think you can be silly when you wanna be, just hardly ever because you got lots to worry about and stuff, and-"

"Donatello, my son, you must speak calmly. Do not allow yourself to wander so far with your words. Now try again." Splinter gently chided his son. "What do you think I was doing? I believe you know the answer." he prodded.

Donatello paused before attempting to answer a second time. He too thought that he knew what his father was doing, but he did not want to be wrong. "I think," he began, pausing to glance at his brothers, who had abandoned their game once more to stand behind him.

"Yes, my son?"

"I think you were countin' the cans. But I can't see how you were countin' 'em if we only have six fingers to count with. You went to seven, an' I'm pretty sure seven is more then six." then he quickly added, "But I could be wrong. I'm pro-prob-probably wrong."

Splinter chuckled quietly to himself, and then grew solemn. He had never taught his five year old charges to count to ten. He had taught them how to count to six, but had thought it unwise to go further, as the children only had six fingers with which to count on. Splinter had not wanted to continue to ten because he worried that the small turtles would not understand how to count further without the aid of their fingers.

Splinter sighed. "No my son, you are correct. I was, in fact, counting the cans."

The four turtles gasped. How had Splinter counted higher then six? The four brothers turned towards each other with gaping mouths, whispering about Splinter's "magic".

Finally, the youngest of the four turned to the rat.

"Splin'er? How you count higher then six? Are you magic? Magic is cool! Teach us magic too!" All four of the turtles jumped up and down chanting, "Teach us magic! We wanna learn too! Will you teach us magic?"

Splinter chuckled at his young sons' antics. "I did no magic my silly sons." he explained. "I merely counted, using my fingers."

The turtles stopped their jumping to stare at their father in confusion. This time, Leonardo stepped forward. "Splinter" he began "when we use our fingers to count like you taught us, we only get to six. How do you get to more then six if we can only get to six?"

Splinter kneeled down so that he was at eye level with the turtles.

"I am able to count higher then six because I have more then six fingers. I have ten fingers, five on each hand."

Again the young turtles gasped.

Then suddenly, "Hey! Why you gots five fingers on each hand it we's on'y gots three? That's not fair! You gots to share!" young Raphael shouted in protest. His brothers nodded their heads in rapid agreement.

"Splin'er gotta share! Pwease share! Sharing is caring, right Splinter?"

Splinter watched as his sons began to grab at his paws, attempting to take off his fingers. He laughed, although he felt that perhaps, as a parent, he should not, at their confused faces when they discovered that his fingers just were not meant to be shared. The turtles looked up at him as he laughed, and Splinter looked down at their frustrated, tiny faces.

"Ah my sons," he sighed as his laughter abided, "I believe it is time that we had another lesson in counting. Now watch me. As we have learned before" he said to his attentive young audience, "each number can go with a finger."

Splinter demonstrated, holding out one finger for one, then adding another finger for two, and so on, all the way to six. Then, to his sons' delight and amazement, Splinter continued up through ten. By the time that Splinter was finished showing his sons to count to ten for the fourth time, one for each turtle, his young charges were attempting to count for themselves.

Donatello, the brilliant young turtle, though painfully shy, seemed to be making the most process. He was standing, staring at his hands, and then glancing down at his toes, and then staring at his hands, and then glancing down at his toes, in an attempt to solve the puzzle that Splinter had laid out for him.

Suddenly Donatello cried out in delight! "I figures it out, Splin'er!" he crowed, not caring if he stumbled over his words, "I figures it out! Come see Splin'er, please come see! Now watch me do it." he instructed his audience. Donatello first counted to six using both of his hands. "There." he said, showing his fingers to his brothers and father. "There I got six. But lookit." The small turtle grabbed one of his feet. "Seven, eight" he labeled each toe. Then without letting his seven and eight foot go, Donatello reached for his other foot. He fell to the floor with a soft 'Thump', but was not to be deterred. He lay on his shell with both feet in the air and counted, "Nine, TEN! One, two, three, four, five, six… seven, eight, nine, TEN!"

As Splinter congratulated the boy, though not before helping him up, Raphael had an idea.

"Leo, gimme your toes."

"No Raphy I needs 'em. I needs 'em so I can count to ten, like Donny and Splinter."

"But that's why I needs your toes."

"No! Use your own toes!"

"I can't!"

"…why?"

"Mines dirty." Raphael mumbled.

"What?" Leonardo inched closer to his brother. "Whats you say about your toes? Why you no use _your _toes?"

"'Cause!" Raphael shouted in his older brother's ear. "Mines dirty! Gimme yours!" With that, he lunged at his brother's feet. Soon the two turtles were rolling around on the floor, each struggling to reach the others feet.

Meanwhile, Michaelangelo, who was away from his tussling brothers, began to tear up. He had looked at his feet, and then at his hand, and then at his feet, and then at his hands, exactly as Donny had done, but he just couldn't get ten. The poor boy began to cry, first big, quiet tears, and then loud, gasping sobs.

"Michaelangelo, my child, what is the matter?" Splinter reached for his son and grabbed him in a hug. '_I had not thought that counting would cause such reactions amongst the boys.'_ he mused as he attempted to sooth the crying turtle.

"I-I-I can't" Michaelangelo gasped. "I can't do it! I can't do it! I can't count to ten Splin'er! I tried to use my feets like Donny did but I think my feets is broken cause I can't count to ten with 'em." Michaelangelo buried his tear-streaked face into his father's chest and whimpered, "Will you fix my feet?"

"My son, your feet are not broken. Here, I will help you with your counting. Now remember, we start at-"

"Splinter."

"Not right now Donatello, I am helping Michaelangelo with his counting."

"Yes Splinter, but Raphy and Leo are fighting."

Splinter quickly nudged Michaelangelo over to Donatello, then rapidly made his way over to the two turtles rolling on the floor.

"Boys!"

Raphael and Leonardo immediately stopped their fighting and stared at their father.

"Boys." Splinter repeated. "Why were you fighting?"

"He wanted my feet."

"I'm sorry?" Splinter asked, puzzled.

"He wanted my feet so that he could count to ten, but if he has my feet and I don't have my feet then _I_ can't count to ten." Leonardo explained slowly.

'_I suppose this was a lesson for another day.'_ Splinter thought at he gazed at the small turtles around him. Although Donatello had caught on to the concept with ease, Michaelangelo was thoroughly upset and confused. Leonardo and Raphael had attempted to copy Donatello, but the conflict of the feet had distracted them from their original goal.

'

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**TEN YEARS LATER……**

"Dude Donny check it out, I got like, ten new comic books today."

"That's great Mikey." Donatello mumbled from behind his welding mask. "Truly super."

"Mikey, Don may be a nerd, but you're a total dork, ya know tha'?"

"Raph, leave Mikey alone. Comic books, however…._interesting_, feed his imagination. And, they keep him out of our hair."

"Whateva' Leo. Go back to your kata. I'm goin' out."

"Wait Raph, I've got a few things I want to test. I'll go with you."

"Don, by, 'a few things', you mean how many, exactly?"

"Well…..ten."

"Great."

"I love your enthusiasm."

Mikey watched his brothers disappeared behind the elevator doors. Then he turned to his eldest brother, who was still working on his kata.

"Hey Leo?" he called.

"What Mikey?" Leo asked as he executed a low sweep. "What do you need? I'm kinda busy."

"That's your tenth kata today Leo. I'm your baby brother, and I'm lonely. Come read my comics with me."

"Mikey…."

"Leo!"

Leonardo paused in his kata. "Fine. Just ten more minutes."

"**Leo!"**

Inside his room Splinter chuckled. "Kids. Though it is extremely gratifying to know that they learned the art of counting to ten."

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Please review! I want to know how well I do with chibi-turtles. So feel free to submit any constructive or just happy reviews! Thanks y'all! 


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